Principal Software Engineer - Backend

About the Position

Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human

Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.

This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.

Principal Software Engineer - Backend

Device Identity and Access Organization

The Device Identity and Access organization is at the forefront of Okta’s Zero Trust vision. As a foundational pillar within Okta Research and Development (ORD), our mission is to transform the device itself into a secure, trusted, and effortless identity factor. We are the teams responsible for ensuring users can seamlessly interact with their work from any endpoint, anywhere in the world.

Our organization is comprised of engineers who thrive at the intersection of deep client-side platform engineering and massive-scale distributed systems. The work we do secures millions of enterprise endpoints globally, prevents modern identity attacks, and fundamentally changes how people work by making world-class security completely invisible to the end user.

Opportunity

We seek a highly impactful and influential Software Engineer to join our engineering team. The ideal candidate will leverage their deep expertise in distributed systems, particularly Java, to architect, build, and scale the critical server-side software and services at the heart of our security and identity platform. This is a high-visibility, hands-on opportunity to define the architectural vision, pioneer new capabilities, and drive the technical strategy to solve complex, company-wide challenges and shape the future of Okta's device identity ecosystem. You will act as a key technical leader-a player-coach and force multiplier-by setting the technical standard, mentoring and coaching engineers, and partnering with engineering leadership and product management to translate strategic business objectives into actionable, scalable technical roadmaps. This role requires an engineer who believes in designing for massive scale, rigorous code reviews, automated testing, and an iterative process to build high-quality enterprise software.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering Directors, and Principal Architects to translate strategic business objectives into actionable, scalable technical roadmaps.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, and QA to ensure the seamless delivery of our most critical engineering initiatives.
• Lead the design and implementation of new features and services within our core Java platform, taking ownership from conception to deployment.
• Define and champion engineering best practices, and make critical contributions to technical designs, proposals, and long-term architectural decisions.
• Act as a force multiplier across multiple teams, mentoring Staff and Senior engineers, guiding technical design reviews, and raising the engineering bar across the entire pillar.
• Develop high-quality, maintainable software with comprehensive test coverage and drive improvements to our testing and CI/CD strategies.
• Create and maintain high-quality technical documentation and foster a culture of knowledge sharing within the team and the broader organization.
• Champion the adoption of AI-native engineering practices within our Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC), utilizing AI coding assistants to accelerate delivery while ensuring rigorous security and code quality standards.
• Spearhead technical innovation, identifying emerging industry trends (such as advanced device security or AI-native development paradigms) and prototyping solutions to keep Okta ahead of the curve.

Requirements

• 7+ years of progressive software development experience, with a proven track record of designing and building scalable, high-performance server-side features using Java and Spring.
• Deep expertise with high-performance Postgres or MySQL environments, including schema design and query optimization.
• Extensive experience designing, building, and securing RESTful APIs for large-scale systems.
• Expert knowledge of server-side technologies, including caching, asynchronous processing, and multi-threading.
• A deep understanding of design patterns, scalability patterns, security engineering, and object-oriented principles.
• Experience in fast-paced agile environments, with a strong understanding of CI/CD and automated testing.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences and influence technical direction.
• Security Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of endpoint security concepts (e.g., Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), Secure Enclave, Device Management/MDM protocols, and endpoint detection).
• Cross-Platform Context: Strong conceptual understanding of how OS-level security features (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS) report state to the cloud.
• Proficiency in leveraging AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot) to accelerate the development lifecycle.

Nice to Have

• Experience building anomaly detection systems or risk systems is a huge plus.
• Experience in cloud security, identity, and/or authentication protocols.
• Understanding of Identity and Access Management protocols and technologies (FIDO, U2F, WebAuthn, SSO, SAML, OAuth, Federation, etc.).
• Knowledge of cybersecurity principles, secure coding practices, and certifications like CISSP or Security+.
• Experience with UI technologies such as ReactJS.
• Exposure to gRPC API development.
• Exposure to microservice architecture.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.

About the Company

The Okta Experience

• Supporting Your Well-Being
• Driving Social Impact
• Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community

We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.

Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.

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The foundation for secure connections between people and technology

Okta is the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise. The Okta Identity Cloud enables organizations to securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time. With over 7,000 pre-built integrations to applications and infrastructure providers, Okta customers can easily and securely use the best technologies for their business. More than 19,300 organizations, including JetBlue, Nordstrom, Slack, T-Mobile, Takeda, Teach for America, and Twilio, trust Okta to help protect the identities of their workforces and customers.

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